Vertical slat blind



C. l. HULL VERTICAL SLAT BLIND 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 18, 1962 Filed June l5, 1958 mhmdc Dec. 18, 1962 c.1. HULL VERTICAL SLA'I BLIND Filed June 13, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-Il JNVENToR. CLAIR l. H U LL BY T TUJL Dec. 1s, 1962 C. I. HULL 3,068,938

' VERTICAL SLAT BLIND Filed June l5, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENToR. CLAIR l. HULL vBY MC1( United States Patent O 3,068,938 VERTICAL SLAT BLIND Clair I. Hull, 7320 48th Ave. S., Seattle, Wash. Filed June 13, 1958, Ser. No. 741,942 4 Claims. (Cl. 160-176) This invention relates to a vertical slat blind and, more particularly, to the support and tilting mechanism for such blinds.

Among the important objects of the invention have been the provision of a simple rockable support structure for an elongated horizontal track; of a compact and easily produced and assembled tilting mechanism for the rockable support structure; of a sheave operated tilting means which may be temporarily and quickly disengaged for cord adjustment and other purposes without disassembly; and of simple and inexpensively produced components for a support and tilting mechanism which may be assembled and used by persons of lesser skill and mechanical ability.

These and other objects are attained from the structure described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE l is a perspective view of a vertical slat blind;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross section on line 2--2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the tiltable support mechanism of my vertical slat blind, portions being broken away and omitted` for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-section in line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, with the track in tilted position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective View, partially in cross-section ofthe support mechanism for the -tiltable track of my blind;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the tilting mechanism of my blind;

FIGURE 7 is a View, similar to FIGURE 4, with the track in non-tilted position;

FIGURE 8 is a face view of a track carrier segment;

FIGURE 9 shows simplified form of shaft rotating mechanism;

FIGURE l0 is a face view of a clutch disc; and

FIGURE l1 is an enlarged detail view of the sheave clutch showing the cam and cam follower elements in plan.

Like reference characters refer to like parts through the drawings and specifications.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a blind comprises a series of Vertical slats 10 suspended from an overhead tiltable track 12 supported by a track carrier 14 rockably mounted on base member 16. Normally, a dust cap 18 is mounted on a wall 19 over a window in suitable manner and base members 16, at least in pairs, are attached thereto. on the underside. An ornamental facia or housing 20 is ordinarily attached to the face and ends of the dust cap 1S to enclose the supportingand tilting elements of the blind.

A typical base member 16, asA seen in FIGURE 6, comprises a base flange 22 attachable to an overhead support and from which depends web 24 that supports the arcuate track flange 26 in a downwardly open man-y ner. Track flange 26is concentric and normally is semicircular.

The track carrier 14 is formed of two arcuate segments 28 (see FIGURE 8) comprising the body 29, grooved at 39 and having the marginal ange 32. The arcuate body 29 has a pair of opposed horns 34, 34 and abutment 36 for receiving a track 12.

A pair of segments 28, 28 are brought into face-toface relation with the grooves 30 open toward each other to form a track carrier 14. Rivets 38, passed through i matchedv holes 39, secure the paired segments 28, 28 to gether. It will be understood that the paired segments are preferably secured together while the edges of track flange 26 are disposed in grooves 30, 30. A boss 40 near an end of groove 30 moves in a matching groove 42 of track flange 26 as the track carrier is rocked on the arcuate track flange. Abutment of the boss 46 with the end 43 of the matching groove 42 limits rocking of the track carrier.

The slat track 12 may be extruded or die-molded metal or plastic as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5, or it may be formed of metal strip material shaped and assembledin the form shown in FIGURES 4, 6 and 7. In either event, the Slat track includes a laterally curved backbone 50 having inwardly directed flanges 52, 52 and outwardly directed flanges 54, 54. A groove 56 is formed at each juncture of the backbone 50 with a flange 54. Spacing ilanges 52, 52 apart provides Slat 58 along the underside of the slat track.

The slat track 12 is engaged in the downwardly open mouth of track carriers 14 in such way that horns 34, 34 enter the grooves 56, 56 and the backbone 50 is pressed to the abutment 36. A practical mode of manufacture is to mold the track carriers of a resilent Plastic material, for example, nylon or similar molding compounds. The attachment of the track l2 is then accomplished by merely pressing the backbone 50 between horns 34, 34 until their ends snap into grooves 56, 56 whereupon the resilient carrier returns to its normal shape.

A plurality of sliders 6i) are tted to move in groove 58 of the slat track. Each slider has an ear 62 provided with a hole 64 to receive a link 66 from which hangs a slat 16. When the slat track is tilted the sliders 66 likewise tiltV to cant the holes 64. This causes hanger links 66 to rock and cause the slats to likewise rock or twist into overlapping position. When the track is not tilted the slats normally hang parallel to each other in the open position. Rocking closes them to screen the opening.

A middle slider usually carries a sheave 68 around which passes a cord 70 whose ends in conventional manner are led to an end of the assembly and permitted' to hang in a loop 71 convenient for manual operation to draw open or close the blind slats.

The tilting mechanism is best seen in FIGURES 6 and 7 to which attention is directed. Journal blocks 74, 75 outstand from web 24 on a side of base member 16 and provide journals 76 to receive shaft 77 for rotation. Blocks 74, may be formed of nylon or the like and, by insuring that the journals are greater than half circular, the shaft may be snapped into place as shown. Shaft 77 is provided with screw thread 79 between the journals.

I ournal block 75 has cam surfaces 78, 78 on the outer face above and below the journal 76. A cam disc 80 is loosely mounted on shaft 77 in close juxtaposition with the outer face of journal block 75. Disc S0 has cam follower protruberances 82, 82 which cooperate with cams 78, 78 so that, when aligned, the cams and cam followers separate disc S0 from journal block 75. Disc 80 has an arm 84 depending therefrom by which the disc may be revolved about the shaft 77.

Shaft 77 has a spline portion S6 to which is fitted clutch disc 88 having at its center a hole 85 matching the shaft spline 86. Disc 88 may slide along the shaft but may not revolve freely thereon. The outer face of disc 88 carries an annular series of outstanding pins 89.

A sheave 90 is mounted on the outer end of shaft `77 for independent rotation and there held against displacement by screw 92. The annular groove of sheave 90 is provided with alternately disposed ears 94 to receive and frictionally engage a cord looped over the sheave with its ends hanging from the sides. A pull on one or the other of the cord ends results in rotation of the sheave. That face of the sheave juxtaposed to disc 88 has mating recesses to receive and be engaged by the outstanding pins 89 of disc 88. This constitutes a malefemale couple between the clutch disc and the sheave.

An expansion spring 95 between disc 83 and sheave 90 tends to bias them apart, this bias being overcome and the spring compressed through the action of cams 78 and cam followers 82 when they are aligned. At such times as arm 84 is swung to misalign the cams and cam followers, the spring 95 acts to open the clutch whereupon free rotation of the sheave is possible.

Arm 84 carries a cross-head 98 which has grooves 99 through Which cord 96 depends. An operator wishing merely to tilt the mechanism pulls straight down on one cord end or the other. Should the operator wish to adjust the cord ends without tilting the blind, he does so by pulling the cords to the left or right causing arm 84 to swing and produce de-clutching of the sheave. While this condition exists, he may then freely involve the sheave and vary the relationship of the cord ends. Upon returning the cords to the vertical position, the sheave is again clutched and locked to shaft 77.

n FlGURE 9 a slight variant is shown in which there is no clutch and the cam and cam followers have been omitted. Such is useful where a clutch may be dispensed with.

Shaft 77 lies alongside a carrier 14, one face of which has outstanding bosses 160 that, acting as pinion elements, engage in the thread 79. When the latter turns, the carrier 14 is rocked one way or the other.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains that changes and alterations in shape, proportion, materials, and the like may be made to t varying circumstances. Those which fall reasonably within the spirit of the subjoined claims, it is my intention, are to be covered hereby.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. ln a vertical slat blind, a horizontal slat track downwardly open from end to end; a plurality of slats serially suspended from said track; downwardly open track carriers in spaced apart relation on said track between its ends; a guide member to support each track carrier; means between each guide member `and its track member forming an arcuate guideway fork the latter; a shaft journalled on one of said guide members transverse to and above the slat track and adjacent the upper portion of the related track carrier; worm and pinion gear means between said shaft and the related track carrier;

a she-ire freely rotatable on said shaft and cord passed thereover for manual manipulation of said sheave; a clutch disc non-rotatably splined on said shaft adjacent said sheave and engageable therewith to couple the sheave to the shaft; spring means biasing said clutch disc out of engagement with said sheave; means forming a cam surface adjacent said clutch disc; a rotary cam-follower disc interposed between said cam surface and said clutch disc; and means to rotate said cam-follower disc relative said cam surface.

2. The structure according to claim l in which the means to rotate said cam-follower disc comprises a depending arm slidably receiving said cord.

3. In a vertical slat blind, a base member; a downwardly open carrier member rockably mounted on said base member and supporting a slat track passing therethrough; spaced apart journal means on the base member adjacent the upper portion of the carrier; a shaft rotatably mounted in said journal means above said slat track; gear means between said shaft and carrier member operable, upon rotation of said shaft, to rock the carrier member relative said base member; a protruding cam surface on the outer face of a journal adjacent the shaft; a cam disc rotatable on the shaft and having a protuberance to follow said cam; an arm depending from said cam disc; a clutch disc splined to said shaft; a sheave to be engaged by said clutch disc and freely rotatable on shaft; a spring between said sheave and clutch disc biasing the latter to nonclutching relation; a cord passing over said sheave and guide means receiving and passing said cord ends and carried by said arm whereby lateral movement of the cord ends rotates said cam disc; said surface and the protuberance on Said cam disc being located to insure engagement of said clutch disc with said sheave when said arm depends vertically relative said shaft. l

4. The structure according to claim 3 in which there are inter-engageable male and female members between said clutch disc and said sheave.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,369,079 Schaefer Feb. 6, 1945 2,599,884 Bennett June l0, 1952 2,748,853 Beck June 5, 1956 2,788,066 Toti et al. Apr. 9, 1957 2,828,817 Achler et al. Apr. 1, 1958 2.849,063 Achler et al. Aug. 26, 1958 mcgeww 

